


Appearances Can Be Deceiving

by Zakani_Donovan



Series: Well, That Was A Thing (Good Omens One-Shots) [4]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Aziraphale Likes Crowley, Aziraphale Saves Crowley, BAMF Aziraphale (Good Omens), Crowley Likes Aziraphale, Developing Relationship, Drunk asshole makes Crowley feel uncomfortable, Gay, Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), M/M, good omens - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:48:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24900340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zakani_Donovan/pseuds/Zakani_Donovan
Summary: Anthony and Azra agreed to meet up at a pub for a nice night out. Unfortunately, while Anthony is waiting for Azra, he has an annoying encounter with a handsome stranger.
Relationships: Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Series: Well, That Was A Thing (Good Omens One-Shots) [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1800655
Comments: 4
Kudos: 65





	Appearances Can Be Deceiving

**Author's Note:**

> Context: Human AU. Based on janthonyashtoreth's Ink and Flowers AU on Instagram and Tumblr.

Before you begin: [Here’s what the boys look like.](https://www.instagram.com/p/B27gvw1pFBH/?igshid=1drejm6l8lq4h)

  
_**Crowley's POV:** _

Anthony was currently sitting at the bar of a local pub, waiting Azra. They had agreed to meet here for a change of scenery. Usually, the pair would hang out at Azra's place whenever they had free time. Ever since Azra finished Anthony's tattoo, they had grown quite close, especially thanks to all the talking they did during their sessions. Azra found himself learning much more than he had ever expected to about plants. While Anthony now saw people's tattoos and wondered what the meanings behind them were. It was funny. Before, Anthony wouldn't even focus on others or think of anyone else when he was alone. And now, all he did was think about Azra and what he would think about X, Y or Z.

Anthony checked his watch. _5:17. Still early, he said he'd be closing the parlor by 5:30..._

He gripped his phone and went through all his social media apps. Nothing really entertained him but it gave his fingers and eyes something to do. He was at this for a while, until the bartender started doing a dessert cocktail of some kind near him and used too much cinnamon. It made Anthony sneeze harder than he would've liked, so much so, that his sunglasses flew off his face. He heard them fall, but had no clue where they landed.

_Shit! Where are they?_

He knelt under the bar, he looked all over the floor but he couldn't find them.

_For fuck's sake, I don't want to buy another pair, I liked those!..._

Just then, stumbling feet walked over to him, steadying themselves as best they could. Anthony's eyes went up the light grey pair of pants and he saw a very handsome man holding his glasses.

"Are these yours? They- ugh, they landed on our table." Slurred the man as Anthony stood. He looked at him, noticing the man's purple eyes. In turn, unfortunately, he noticed Anthony's.

"Whoa, what is **wrong** with your **eyes**?" He said, too close for the ginger's comfort. The alcohol on his breath was nauseating. Anthony has coloboma.

A coloboma is a hole in one of the structures of the eye, such as the iris, retina, choroid, or optic disc. The hole is present from birth and can be caused when a gap called the "choroid fissure" (which is present during early stages of prenatal development) fails to close up completely before a child is born. Anthony has one in each pupil, giving them a reptilian-like aesthetic, hence why he always wore shades. He **hated** people staring at his eyes. It made him feel like he was a monster, a freak.

Anthony then grabbed the glasses and put them on before quickly walking away from him. "Thanks." He huffed over his shoulder, hurrying back to the bar. The other man followed him, using the bar to keep himself steady.

"Seriously, how'd your eyes **get** like that? I mean, they don't **look** like contacts." He said, staring as if he would be able to see his eyes through the sunglasses if he squinted hard enough.

Anthony leaned back as much as he could, eyes wandering the whole establishment. "Could you please just leave me alone? I'm waiting for someone."

But the drunk man wouldn't take the hint and he sat on the stool next to Anthony's. "Oooh, got a hot date there, cat-eyes?"

_Are you **fucking** kidding me? How pissed **are** you?_

"I really don't want to have a conversation with you, so could you **please** scram?" Anthony's patience was thin on a regular basis, so you can imagine how nonexistent it was at the moment when someone wasn't respecting his personal space.

"Oh come on, pretty boy! I'm not doing anything wrong." He said with a lopsided grin, eyeing Anthony up and down.

Anthony tried not to shudder visibly. "I beg to differ." He got up, walking away from the purpled-eyed man and headed to the men's bathroom. He was relived when he didn't follow this time.

_Thank God. Please get distracted with something, or someone, when I come out of here..._

He glanced down at his phone to check the time. _5:35. He should be on his way by now. Hurry up, Azra. I really don't want to be here right now..._

Anthony stayed in there for a bit, contemplating whether or not he should text Azra and tell him to reschedule for some other time. However, he came to the conclusion that he didn't want to wait. He loved spending time with him and talking. Who knew when he'd have free time from clients? Maybe he'd get another tattoo to keep seeing him frequently. No, that wouldn't work. He'd need a proper meaning for it, otherwise Azra would know something was up.

Eventually, Anthony walked out of the bathroom. His eyes scanned the room. Thankfully, the drunk bastard was at the end of the room with a group of friends. And if they weren't friends, they were just as drunk as he was and very friendly towards him.

He settled at the bar once more and took out his phone and, just as he was going to text Azra, he was gently tapped on his shoulder. He swung around, about to shout at the purple-eyed man again but was met with brilliant blue eyes instead. His face immediately softened.

"Hello dear, I hope you haven't been waiting long." Said Azra quickly before taking the stool next to Anthony, who was now the happiest he had been all afternoon.

_You made it! Great, now I won't have to deal with that idiot on my own anymore... What am I saying? Fuck that guy, I get to enjoy your company now._

The ginger shook his head, awkwardly leaning on the bar. "Not long, really. Care for a drink? My treat."

"No, they'll be none of that. You've spent enough money at my parlor, I'll be buying tonight."

Anthony felt himself blush, but he didn't object.

~~~~~

They sat and chatted away for a very long while. He had almost forgotten the bad time he had earlier with that other man. Almost. Unfortunately, said man did not stay away for too long. From the other side of the room, Anthony could hear a drunken group of people calling out to a 'Gabriel'.

_**Please** don't be that guy. **Please** don't be that guy. **Please** don't be that guy. **Please** don't be that guy. **Please** don't be that guy-_

"Let me buy you a drink, twink." Insisted the purple-eyed man, 'Gabriel', tugging at Anthony's jacket sleeve.

_Fucking Hell!_

Anthony violently jerked away his arm. "No."

"Oh come on, cat-eyes! I'm being nice here, work with me!" He insisted, as if that were a proper offer anyone with self-respect would take.

"I said 'no', so kindly piss off!"

Just then, the insufferable man was tapped on the shoulder by Azra, prompting him to turn around. The blond glared at the man in front of him. "Excuse me dear fellow, he clearly doesn't want your company. So could you please do us a favor and leave us alone?" He asked, calmly and softly. It was surprising that his voice was heard, considering all the talking going on in the establishment.

Gabriel scoffed. "Listen here chubby, this doesn't concern you."

"I beg to differ. It concerns my friend, therefore it concerns me a great deal." Said Azra before standing from his seat.

The drunk man glared at the blond before placing a hand on Azra's shoulder. "Look pal-"

It happened so suddenly that Anthony didn't process it until seconds after. Azra swiftly took Gabriel's hand off from his shoulder, then proceeded to twist it behind his back and pin him against the bar. His face was squished against the hard oak surface and he struggled to try and get out. Based on Anthony's logic, Azra was either incredibly strong or Gabriel was too drunk for this, because his squirming did nothing to move the blond man.

_Holy fuck, how did this happen?! Is the 'soft and kind tattoo artist' thing all a show? Is he hiding muscles under all his jumpers? Holy Hell!... Get a grip you moron, you shouldn't be so aroused by this! The man is literally pinning down the pain in the ass you've been dealing with this whole time! You should be thanking him for it! You should-!_

Anthony's attention snapped back to Azra's face when he heard him speaking to him. Or at him, might've been more accurate.

"Hmm?" Managed Anthony, momentarily forgetting how to speak when confronted by those gentle blue spheres Azra had for eyes.

"I asked if you were alright, my dear. You look a bit shocked." He seemed a bit concerned, all his focus was on Anthony, but his strength didn't waver and kept Gabriel in place.

Anthony's face quickly reddened as he tried to focus once more. "Ngk. Yeah- fine. Yeah..."

_Good lord you are **hopeless**!_

Azra smiled kindly at him, apparently relieved. "Oh, good. I'm glad to hear it." He told him softly and genuinely, before turning his attention back to Gabriel. "Now then. **You** are going to apologize to my friend here, I will let go of you and you will leave us both alone. Is that clear?"

Gabriel mumbled angrily under his breath, like a child who had just been scolded about something. Azra put more pressure on him, twisting as much as possible without breaking anything. This earned him a pained grunt before he yielded.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, please let go!" Gabriel begged him.

The blond looked up at his friend. "Anthony, are you content with this apology, or do you need a better one?"

Gabriel shifted, trying to glare at Azra. " **Better** one?! I said I wa- ow! Ow, ow, ow!"

"What do you think, my dear?" Azra asked nonchalantly, as if he **wasn't** torturing someone with ease.

_You should probably tell him to let go... Though, it is kinda nice seeing him squirm like that for being an ass... Nope, no. Stop being petty and try to salvage the night with Azra._

Anthony gave him a nod. "It's fine."

With that, Azra released Gabriel, who then turned to walk away. However, it was a ruse. Gabriel sprang back towards them to attack Azra. Before Anthony could give him a warning though, Azra nailed Gabriel with an elbow to the nose without even trying. He fell to the floor, clutching his face with both hands.

"That may be broken, would you like for me to call an ambulance?" Asked Azra in a helpful manner, as if it wasn't his fault at all.

"Fuck off!" He yelled before wiping some of the blood from his nose on his shirt.

After shooting another glare to the two of them, the drunk idiot stumped his way back to the table where he was at earlier in the evening. Once they were sure he wasn't coming back, Anthony visibly relaxed. Azra placed a hand over his.

"Are you alright, my dear?" He asked him softly, leaning closer to ensure he had heard him.

Anthony gulped, avoiding his gaze and focusing on the oak bar.

_He's holding your hand. He is holding your hand. Okay, this is fine. Totally fine. Just play it cool. Ignore the fact that your face is literally hellfire-hot right now..._

"Yes. Thank you... For that... Where did you learn to do that? That was so badass!"

_I just said 'play it cool', you idiot!_

"Oh, thank you! I don't believe anyone has ever referred to me as a 'badass' before. I certainly don't feel like one." Said the blond bashfully, his cheeks reddened a bit.

_Oh lord, he's **adorable** when he blushes! Okay, focus! Let him know exactly how badass he really is!_

"Well, you are! I mean, you took out that douche with **minimal** effort, didn't even break a sweat! You were in control the whole time! You never looked worried! It was **great**!" Insisted Anthony, trying not to move so much, as it might've promoted Azra to remove his hand from his.

_Tone it back there, fanboy._

Anthony grinned. "Honestly, I was half tempted to let you keep him there a bit longer. Just to see what else you're capable of..."

"I can show you, if you like. I take a kickboxing class every week I'm not too busy with work. You should join me sometime." He said eagerly.

_Kickboxing? This guy is **definitely** going to kill me via his hotness. Well... Good way to go, I suppose._

"I'd like that. Sometime." His eyes shifted to the table at the far end when a loud yell sounded out. It seemed as though Gabriel had one of his buddies try to put his nose back into place.

Even though he laughed at this, Azra noticed he still looked a bit uncomfortable. Perhaps even paranoid. So he decided to do something about it. "Anthony, would you like to go somewhere else? Preferably somewhere away from **them**? Where you can actually relax and have a nice time with me?" His eyes sparkled, Anthony wasn't sure whether it was the lights in the pub or if there was something magical within this man which he wasn't aware of yet.

_Anywhere you like..._ Anthony smiled at him. "Lead the way, angel."

Azra paused at the nickname. "A- 'angel'? Where did that come from?"

_**Shit** , you said that out loud! Quick, come up with something. Or try making him laugh! Something, don't stay silent!_

"Well... you acted like my guardian angel tonight, protecting me from drunk idiots. And now you offer to take me somewhere safe. Are you sure you aren't a part-time celestial being?"

Azra let out an absolutely precious giggle. "Perhaps I should look into that line of work."

_Excuse me while I melt thanks to that laugh._

The blond removed his hand from atop Anthony's. Before the ginger could frown, he he is met with the sweetest smile he's ever seen. He can't help but return the gesture, though he's sure his isn't as lovely.

He tilted his head towards the front door of the pub. "Shall we get on? Perhaps you'll feel more comfortable at my parlor? We can order takeout, chat for a bit, drink and not have to worry about others ruining our fun." He suggested, fumbling his his pinky ring.

"I'd like that, Azra. I'd like that a lot." Anthony told him as he stood. With that, they exited the building and walked back to Azra's for the night.


End file.
